Construction of Oppenheimer Park began in early June 2009 and is expected to reopen in January 2010. Initially, the Park was to be kept open and redeveloped in two phases with one half closed at a time; however, the City has decided to forgo the two step process and complete the redevelopment in one year to reduce costs, to minimize safety concerns and to ensure locals have access to the Park during the 2010 Olympics. The work planned for the Park is extensive: besides the new Fieldhouse, there will also be a new drainage system placed in the soil, new grass, new pathways, new children’s play area and even new sidewalks in some places with concrete benches. Currently, the entire Park is fenced off and inaccessible.
During the spring of this year, the Coalition took part in several meetings with City officials, local residents, artists, community members and other stakeholders to discuss commemorative features for the Park. Through a design charrette, the Legacy Sakura, First Nations presence, the Asahi baseball team and the labour movement were identified as key elements of the Park that would be highlighted through commemoration. The process was particularly time sensitive as any potential commemoration connected to the Fieldhouse needed to be included in the information for tender.
The Coalition is pleased announce that through community discussions, it was finally agreed in April that the Legacy Sakura commemoration would become permanently integrated into the new Fieldhouse. Features will include a silhouette of the Akebono tree that was transplanted back in February surrounded by falling sakura petals fritted (a process whereby an image is fired onto the surface of the glass creating a permanent, translucent image) onto the east facing windows of the new building. An old poem was scribed on a plaque that was once attached to the large rock which still sits in the Park but was long ago stolen will also accompany the Akebono image and will be fritted onto the glass. This memorial to the trees and our issei pioneers on the Fieldhouse is fitting, not only as a central and constant reminder of the story of the Issei, but also to the two kwanzan trees that were lost in the fall of 2008 to accommodate the location of the new Fieldhouse.
Additional commemoration features for the First Nations, historic Asahi baseball team and the labour movement are not planned to commence until later in the year or as the Park construction nears completion. The entrance to the Fieldhouse will have a First Nations presence with the image of “Welcoming Hands” ushering visitors to the building while the Asahi will be acknowledged at the former location of the baseball diamond. There are still several more discussions to come as other commemoration work is finalized.
As of mid August 2009, the City reported that the drainage pipes had been laid into the soil and the foundation for the Fieldhouse was poured on August 14. Seeding of the new grass field is scheduled for September 15. Pathways and other building work will follow thereafter.
